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Show r i bf Mfirria' IWky? W- -l J Quiz: v. Ljil 0 t gait akr Sfibiuu ''' Section W 100 Mo?t Influential People v .VS Nvl!- - I'ninlrr- - W-f- W-- 6 I t - 1 ft 4 I W-- 9 wsjjy- ... ';, 4' S. Page One Y ou can tell game warden her shiny blue earrings :: j'WSK' , Sunday Morning, September 24, 1978 & 1 N y A fv 7 ; f ' ' V: .... .. : ... ... h ! ,w .A iy V.-- ? '4V.- - ., . . $ V T;l7lWS-- ,. , CWW'" 11 fwsafc At,- - e S s "V-- rneatw-- -- .,.; s& :V.1."r'.SJWWW.M.:-- '. .;- - ., ' ' f y ' - , ' ; .. By Hazel S. Parkinson ;; Lifestyle Writer a ic inhabitants at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, 15 miles west of Brigham City. These areas are part of the territory where Mrs. d federal Schroeder works. She is the special agent (commonly referred to as game warde- -' for the Fish and Wildlife Service, District Four, U.S. Department of the Interior. A Utah First Mrs. Schroeder is the first woman to hold this assignment in Utah. Currently, she also is the only woman in the Fish and Wildlife Service who is an active special field agent. There are other women in the service at custom ports of entry and laboratories, but not out in the wilds, she notes. She has been with the service four years, transferring to Utah from North Carolina. Already since her arrival a month ago, she has traversed the Northern Utah territory. She is one of two special agents in Utah. Jim Hogue is the other. With three years of field service behind her, she is eager (and confident) for the hunting season to begin ; more specifically the opening of duck hunting, which begins at sunup Oct. 7. Transferring to Utah, she and her husband, Lonnie, had the luck of the Irish with them (her maiden name is Delaney). The couple, who has been married 10 months, is very happy about the move. Lonnie also is with the Fish and Wildlife Service as a refuge biologist, working with habitat and land management problems. His office is in Salt Lake City at the Federal Building. He commutes from Brigham City when not in the field. The district territory covers Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado and Utah. His transfer came through earlier. The pair decided to make the move from the East Coast. The luck came when just three weeks later a special agent opening came bp in Utah. She went after it and landed the job. team This is the first transfer of a husband-wif- e in the service, she said. "We were fortunate. The move also meant selling a house and buying another in Brigham City. Feds Compatible With State Federal special agents and state game wardens are compatible, Mrs. Schroeder said. We help each other in enforcing the laws. During the duck hunting season, she will be up and out on the refuge before daybreak, staying until after dark. Her duties include seeing that the federal regulations are enforced. In the field she checks licenses, permits, tags, limits, possessions. A Pistol And A Camera With the job comes the transportation to do it. She has a drive vehicle, equipped with a two-wawith half radio; use of a newly-assigne- ' ' s?- j2d&L rr'q w. ,.5 f.trir- ta;ai.iwyi6MMri - Warden's hip boot tracks in the bog, from island to bank, form an interesting pattern for viewers, artists and photographers. four-whe- y Mrs. Schroeder carefully crosses swamp at bird refuge. A 'f waterfowl at the Bear River Bird Refuge, west of Brigham City, in preparation for opening of duck hunt. tread for use in swamps; and a snowmobile. Her gear also includes a pistol and a camera. Since her arrival, Mrs. Schroeder is being trained in the use of an airboat. That is the flat bottom boat with a motor-drive- n propeller that skims the waterways and marshlands. During the off season her duties also include watching for poachers, checking for eagles and hawks. She checks electrical and telephone lines. She also checks with taxidermists to see if items brought in for stuffing and mounting are properly tagged. She may be called to appear in court when violation cases come up. In such violation cases, evidence confiscated by agents is stored in freezers or photographed for use by prosecutors when cases come to court. She has some evidence in a locked freezer at her headquarters. BRIGHAM CITY For miles around, Cindy Schroeder looks through the binoculars to see the marshlands, grasses, water and the water fowl s I '' w. . . Schroeder, special agent, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior, scans sky for Cindy -v s i mini-trackst- Tribune Staff Photos By Tim Kelly While growing up, Mrs. Schroeder was a military a retired Air Force Officer. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in criminology. Her husband grew up in North Dakota and has a masters degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins. He has brat. Her father is hunted and fished all his life, and he cooks the birds and game at home. Appreciated Wildlife, Conservation It was all new to me, she said, until I entered government service. But I have adapted and I have a great appreciation for hunting, wildlife and conservation. I have hunted ducks, grouse and pheasants in North Carolina. We both like hunting, fishing, camping and skiing. We look forward to Utah skiing and the nearness to the slopes. I have never hunted deer. In the South, deer hunting is a Ted neck sport with mostly professional people participating. Few are women. , When Mrs. Schroeder graduated from college, she found that the Fish and Wildlife Service was looking for personnel with law enforcement background as well as education in biological sciences. I applied, because I wasnt sure Id like hard core law enforcement, such as police work. This work is much softer. While I carry a gun, Ive rarely had to show it. I have never regretted my choice. I think this job is ideal for a woman. Its so much Every day is different. I wonder why more women dont go into it. Im treated well by other employees. They are very supportive. After all, we work together, have the same job objectives and goals. fun. Last year when I was on patrol in the field, few noticed that I was a woman. In the colder weather I dress much like the male agents, down jacket, cap, heavy boots and dark glasses. One man, who called the office to complain about a citation, was asked who the agent was who signed the complaint. He answered he didnt know, but the She has gear for all kinds of weather, terrain and situations. agent wore blue earrings. She enforces federal laws and regulations governing migratory and protected birds and waterfowl In Utah. |